Clock construction.



C. I. HALL.

CLOCK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. 1912.

1,208,147. Patented Dec. 12, 1916.-

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

ZJQI/Zneaaes: E206 71/602 C. l. HALL.

CLOCK CONSTRUQHON. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. l91 2.

1,208,147. Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

c/7/Z 0/7? eys UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER I. HALL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 CHICAGO ELECTRIC METER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CLOCK CONSTRUCTION.

driven by a weightso arranged that it is raised continuously as it drops so that the driving and winding operations progress simultaneously and continuously. As a result of this construction I am able to apply the driving force to one of the more rapidly moving spindles of the clockwork mechanism instead of driving through the comparatively slow moving arbors as heretofore, and this construction affords a further advantage which permits the elimination ofmuch of the gearing heretofore used, although the same escapement mechanism may be employed as heretofore whether of the marine or pendulum type.

The weight employed to drive the clockwork mechanism consists of the rotor of a small induction motor, which is raised by suitable gearing as it rotates, so that, al-

though the weight drops to drive the clockwork through the gearing, the lifting gearing operated by the rotation of the weight serves to immediately lift it so that it is in position to again drop. The lifting of the rotor by its rotation may serve to remove it from the driving field and thus establish a condition of equilibrium between the rotary effort and the dropping of the weight,

which causes the rotor tohave a comparatively slow rate of rotation, which, as far as can be observed without accurate instruments, is continuous. In this manner the torque of rotation and the speed of rotation need not be definitely and accurately predetermined, since, if the driving torque is ample to lift the weight by means of the gearing, the condition of equilibrium referred to will be reached, regardless of the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 12, 1916,

Application filed November 22, 1912. Serial No. 732,853.

normal rate of-rotation of the rotor when subjected to the full driving effort of the field magnets.

By my invention I may also employ a construction in which the rotor of the induction motor does not constitute the weight for driving the clock, but operates the gearing through a variable torque mechanism so that when the driving weight descends to a certain position, the torque of the variable torque driving mechanism increases sufficiently to operate the liftin gearing, and thus the driving weight is li ted to decrease the torque of the variable torque mechanism.

A further result secured by my'invention consists in the use of a single pair of gears between the shaft driven by the weight and the hands of the clock, so that much of the mechanism heretofore employed may be eliminated.

The'several drawings illustrating my invention are as follows: g

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a clock train of standard construction provided with a marine escapement, the only differencebeing that the driving spring and its gears are omitted; Fig. 2 shows an induction motor partially in section, with gearing driven thereby for rotating one of the shafts of the clockwork shown in Fig. 1;' Fig. 3 shows, in a view similar to Fig. 2, a variable torque mechanism by which the induction motor. rotates and raises an independent driving weight to drive one of the clock shafts shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the parts shown in Fig. 3, taken along the lines 4, 4 and 5, 5; and Fig. 6 shows, in a view similar to Figs. 1 and 2, a modified form of clockwork mechanism and its driving weight and motor by which a single pair of gears is employed between the weight-driven shaft and the clock hands.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in Fig. 1, the clock train consists of a plurality of shafts 1, 2, 3 and 4 connected by gearing in a manner well known in the art, so that the shaft 4 rotates once an hour, while the shaft 1 may rotate quite rapidly, depending upon the rate of rotate once in twelve hours.

The shaft 2 has rigidly secured to it a in the form of a marine escapement, shown in Fig. 1 or a pendulum, as the case may be. The minute hand 5 is rigidly secured to the shaft 4 and is connected by reducing gears 6 to the hour hand 7 in the ratio of one to twelve, so that the hour hand will gear 8 engaging a worm 9 carried by the shaft 10 of an induction motor, as indicated in Fig. 2. The shaft 10 is supported in bearings 11 and 12 so that it may slide vertically therein, and this shaft carries the rotor 13 of the induction motor, which may be provided with a stator 14 having any desired number of holes, depending upon the frequency of the current supplied to the motor and the speed of rotation which it is desired to impart to the rotor. These poles of the stator are energized by coils indicated at 15, and since the circuit connections which are employed for energizing these windings constitute no part of the present invention, they are not herein shown and described.

When the-current is turned ofl" from the induction motor, the weight'of the rotor 13 rotates the gear 8 and thus drives the clock until the lower end of shaft 10 rests upon the supporting spring 16, at which time the driving of the clock stops. For this position of the rotor 13 in the field 14-of the moto1 sufficient torque is developed to certainly rotate the rotor and raise it from the'spring 16 a suflicie'nt distance so that it will positively operate the gear 8. The rotation of the rotor which is started when the current is turned on to the motor continues with relative ra-.

pidity until the rotor is lifted out of the field 14 and away from the spring 16 a sufficient distance so that the rotating efi'ort developed by the field 14 is insuflicient to rotate the rotor against the resistance which it encounfers due to being obliged to lift its own weight by means of the worm 9. Theweight of the rotor and parts rigidly connected thereto is sufiicient, however, to drive the clockwork mechanism, and thus the rotor 13 drops into the field again as the clockwork is advanced, and again the torque increases to a sufiici'ent degree to rotate the rotor, and this operation is continued indefinitely. It will be seen,therefore, that the driving force exerted upon the gear 8 is independent of.

the rotating torque of the induction motor, WlllCll may-be very'large relatively to the force required to drive the clock and also relatively large compared with the weight of the rotor, which is'used as the driving weight of the clock. Furthermore, anv varlations or irregularities in speed of the rotor are independent of the rotation of the gear 8, which rotates at a constant speed as long as the driving force of the weight of the rotor 13 is applied to it, assuming that the rotor is operated so that it does not engage the spring 16. In practice, with the parts well made, it is found that instead of operating intermittently as referred to, a condition of equilibrium is reached for which the rotor rotates at a continuous rate and apparently does not move vertically, although, of course, in fact there are intermittent vertical movements of the shaft 10 and parts rigidly secured thereto due to the intermittent action of the escapement.

In the modified construction shown in Fig.

'3, the rotor 13 rotates in a field M in such a manner that'there is no longitudinal movement ofthe rotor shaft 10, but, on the other hand, the latter is mounted so that it does not have movement longitudinally in suitable bearings 11 and 12 1 'In'this modified construction the shaft '10". carries at its upper end a cup 16. containing in its lower portion fan blades 17 so inclined as to'force air upward out of the cup when the rotor 18 is rotated. Holes 18 are provided in the bottom of the cup, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that the air, may enter the same. The weight 19, which is used to drive the gear 8 is secured to the lower end of a shaft 20 mounted to move longitudinally in bearings 21' and 22. The shaft-20 has rigidly secured, to it .a worm 23'. which engages the gear 8}, The weight 19 has extending-downward from it fan blades 24to be acted upon by the air proiected upwardly bv the fan blades 17 and as the edges of the fan blades 24 approach closely the bore of the cup 16; it will at once'appear that the rotating efi'ort exerted upon the weight 19 by the air proiected upwardly by the fan blades 17 will increase until it reaches a point sufiicient to rotatethe shaft 20 and lift the weight 19. With this modified construction the rotor 13 rotates at a constant and maximum rate dueto the fact that it is in its most efl'ective' relation to the stator 14*, and the weight 19 will be raised to such a point that the variable torque developed between the fan blades 17 and 24 will be just suflicient' to rotate the shaft 20 at substantially the rate required to keep the weight 19 in the same vertical osition.

In the modified construction shown in ;Fig. 6, the weight driving mechanism is thesame as that shown and describedin connection with Figs l and 2, as far as the.

motor and driving gears connected with the motor shaft are concerned. In this construction, however, the shaft 2" has secured to it a'worm 25. meshing with a worm wheel 26 carried by the minute shaft 27, to which the minute hand 5 is rigidly secured. Reducing gears 6 connect the shaft 27 with the hour hand 7, and thus provide for all of the timing functions required of a clock.

In this way, since the induction motor provides a means for driving one of the rapidly moving parts of the clock, it is not necessary to have the long reducing train of gearing in the form of spur gears as is necessary in standard clock construction on account of applying the driving force to one of the slowly moving'parts. It will at once appear that it is immaterial to which one of the clock shafts the driving force of the weight is applied, so long as the torque of the motor is sufficient to lift the weight so as to maintain it in driving relation. It is, however, advantageous to apply it to one of the more rapidly moving shafts of the clock, and it might even be applied to the.

shaft carrying the escape wheel if desired, for by operating one of the rapidly moving shafts in this manner, the motor may be reduced materially in size from What would be required to drive a slower moving shaft, and thus the amount of energy required to rotate it is correspondingly decreased.

While I have referred above to clock mechanism as driven by the devices shown and described, it will be understood that my invention consists broadly in a motor mecha nism capable of storing potential energy, which storing operation takes place as the energy is expended in driving any desired devices, and furthermore that the communication of the energy to the driven devices constitutes the means for communicating to the'motor mechanism additional energy to increase the potential energy represented thereby.

While I have shown my invention in the particular embodiments herein described, I do not, however, limit myself to these. constructions, but may employ any equivalents that will appear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is: I v

1. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a weight for driving said elements arranged when rotated to move upwardly, and mechanism arranged to continuously rotate the weight to maintain it in substantially the same horizontal'plane.

2. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a weight for driving said elements arranged when rotated to move upwardly, and mechanism arranged to subject said weight to a constantly operating variable torque to maintain it in substantially the same horizontal plane.

3. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a Weight for driving said elements arranged when rotated to move upwardly, mechanism arranged to continuously rotate the weight to maintain it in substantially the same horizontal plane, and means out of engagement with the weight when the weight is turning arranged and a spring out of engagement with the weight when the weight is turning arranged to hold the Weight in operative position after it has ceased to turn.

5. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a weight for driving said elements, and constantly operating motor mechanism for moving the weight to a driving position, motion of said Weight to its driving position serving to decrease the driving torque of said motor mechanism.

6. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a Weight for driving said elements, and motor mechanism for moving the weight to a driving position, motion of said weight to its driving position serving to decrease but not destroy the torque communicated from said motor mechanism to said weight.

7. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a gear for driving said elements, a worm engaging said gear, a vertical shaft carrying said worm, a motor mechanism comprising a rotor carried by said shaft constituting a weight to drive the chronometer elements, and a stator disposed in operative relation to the rotor to continuously rotate it as the rotor drops to drive said gear.

8. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a gear for driving said elements, a worm engaging said gear, a vertical shaft'carrying said worm, and an electric motor mechanism comprising a rotor carried by said shaft, said rotor constituting a weight to operate the chronometer elements, and a stator disposed in operative relation to the rotor to rotate it as the rotor drops to drive said gear, said rotation of the produced by said stator and thus decrease the torque.

9. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a gear for driving said elements, a worm engaging said gear, a vertical shaft carrying said worm, anda continuously operating electric motor having one of its elements secured to said shaft and constituting a weight for operating the chronometer elements, the other of said mot'or elements being fixed in driving relation to said first motor element.

10. In combination, elements comprising a chronometer mechanism, a gear fordriying said elements, a worm 'engag1ng sald gear, a vertical shaft carrymg said worm,

.rotor serving to lift it partlyfrom the field and a continuously'operating electric motor I In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe having one of its elements securedto said my name this 16th day of November, A. D. shaft and the other of its elements fixed in 1912.

driving relation to said first motor element, CHESTER I. HALL. 5 rotation of the motor element secured to the Witnesses:

shaft servingto move it partly out of driv- ALBERT C. BELL,

ing relation With the other motor element. MARY A. 0001:. 

